Monday, January 7, 2013

Omar Hammami's personal dispute with Shabaab

Over the past week, a jihadist who calls himself https://twitter.com/abumamerican" and "Abu M" on Twitter launched into a tirade against Shabaab, al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia. Abu M, who describes himself as a "Mujaahid in Somaalia," is purportedly linked to American jihadist Omar Hammami, the Alabaman traitor and al Qaeda operative who calls himself Abu Mansour al Amriki. Hammami has claimed he is being persecuted by Shabaab for publicizing a purported split between foreign jihadists and local Shabaab forces. But Hammami's dispute with Shabaab is more likely due to personal issues with Shabaab's leadership, as there have been no other credible reports of foreign fighters being at odds with the al Qaeda affiliate.

Hammami has been feuding with Shabaab since March 2012, when he released a short video claiming his life was in danger. In October, Hammami released another video, in which he claimed that "friction" exists between Shabaab and foreign fighters. The October video was clearly recorded at the same time as the March video.

After Hammami's release of the first video in March, Shabaab quickly denied his claim that the group threatened to kill him. Shabaab did not speak publicly about the supposed feud until last month, when the group accused the American of being a narcissist who has been manufacturing the supposed split for personal fame.

In Shabaab's Dec. 18 statement addressing the Hammami kerfuffle, the group said it "hereby declares that Abu Mansour al Amriki [Hammami] does not, in any way, shape or form, represent the views of the Muhajireen [emigrants or foreign fighters] in Somali."

"The opinions expressed by Abu Mansour, the alleged frictions and the video releases are merely the results of personal grievances that stem purely from a narcissistic pursuit of fame and are far removed from the reality on the ground," Shabaab continued.

Abu M launched into the latest attack on Shabaab with a single tweet on Dec. 31, 2012 [Abu M's full list of tweets from Dec. 31, 2012 to Jan. 4 are listed below]. In that tweet, Abu M said that "Shabab aren't the khilaafah [the Caliphate] and muslims aren't their slaves. Being shabab isn't oblig [obligatory] and spreading jihad is."

On Jan. 4, Abu M claimed that Shabaab had issued an ultimatum to surrender in 15 days or face execution.

"Shabab make off annoucement in front of amriki: drop ur weapon b4 15 days or be killed. Its on," Abu M tweeted.

The next day, Abu M spoke as Hammami and said that he asks "Allah to make my death like sa'iid bin jubayr...the end of somalia's hajjaaj" [emphasis ours]. Sa'id ibn Jubayr was a religious scholar and companion of the fourth Imam and was beheaded by an Arab politician known as Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. Abu M may in fact be Hammami (the style of writing at the Abu M Twitter page is similar to Hammami's), or one of his associates, such as Cabdulaahi Ahmed Faarax (a.k.a. Abdullah al Amriki), another American jihadist, who was pictured with Hammami in December 2011.

Abu M then fired off 26 tweets, which accused Shabaab of persecuting, imprisoning, and killing foreign fighters; executing civilians; hoarding the spoils of war; unfairly taxing civilians; allowing prostitution and drugs in some areas under Shabaab control; and other crimes.

Abu M even likened Shabaab to the Nazis in their use of bureaucracy.

"Like hitler they intentionally inject bureaucracy into the hierarchy out of psycho fear of a coup," he tweeted.

Hammami the only foreign jihadist known to have quarreled with Shabaab

While some analysts have portrayed the feud between Hammami and Shabaab as evidence of a divide between foreign al Qaeda fighters and the Somali leaders, the likelihood is that Hammami allowed his personal grievances with the terror group to spill out into the open.

Other than Hammami's statements, there is no credible evidence of other foreign fighters having had problems with Shabaab's leaders. Despite the deaths of top al Qaeda operatives Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan and Fazul Mohammed, both of whom were senior leaders in Shabaab, foreigners continue to play a significant role in Shabaab's command structure [see LWJ report, Al Qaeda leaders play significant role in Shabaab].

Less than two months before Hammami released his first tape claiming he was in danger of being killed by Shabaab, the terror group announced its official merger with al Qaeda. The merger was endorsed by al Qaeda's emir, Ayman al Zawahiri. Immediately after the merger, the Muslim Youth Center (MYC), an Islamist terror group based in Kenya, announced that MYC is part of al Qaeda in East Africa, and has since issued numerous statements endorsing Shabaab and jihad in Somalia. Tanzanian jihadists, including some associated with MYC, have also praised the Somali terror group. Neither group has indicated that there is a problem with their fighters being sent into Somalia to fight alongside Shabaab. Additionally, Shabaab receives significant support and fighters from Somali populations in the US and Europe.

And despite Hammami's claim that Shabaab was preventing foreign fighters from leaving the country, it is well known that hundreds of Shabaab fighters have traveled to Yemen to support al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Additionally, small numbers of Shabaab commanders and fighters have been spotted in Mali and Nigeria.

In addition, the report of a dispute last year between senior Shabaab leader Sheikh Abu Mansur Robow and Shabaab emir Sheikh Muktar Abu Zubayr Godane over the merger with al Qaeda turned out to be false. Shabaab denied the authenticity of an interview by a Somali newspaper with Robow on the alleged dispute and other matters, calling the report "manufactured."

Hammami may have overplayed his hand

Hammami's quarrel with Shabaab appears to be related to two key disagreements: his apparent demotion in late 2011, and his open criticism of Shabaab over military strategy.

In October 2011, Hammami's influence as the premier foreign Western jihadist was jeopardized when Abu Abdullah al Muhajir, an American, arrived in Somalia to dispense food, clothing, and Korans to Somali civilians at the behest of al Qaeda's emir, Ayman al Zawahiri. Al Muhajir also appeared on video with Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, a top Shabaab spokesman [see LWJ report, American al Qaeda operative distributes aid at Somali relief camp].

Prior to al Muhajir's arrival in Somalia, Hammami occupied a prominent place in Shabaab's propaganda arm. He also served as a recruiter, financier, and military commander. He was even seen with Shabaab's top leaders at a public eulogy for slain al Qaeda emir and founder Osama bin Laden in May 2011. But just months after al Muhajir's appearance in Somalia, Hammami was on the outs with Shabaab. Al Muhajir's appointment by Zawahiri as his personal emissary may have been perceived as a slight by Hammami, who, if his writings and propaganda videos are any indication, has an inflated opinion of himself.

Additionally, Hammami is known to have carried on a very public dispute with Shabaab over its military strategy. Hammami was critical of Shabaab's and its predecessors, the Islamic Court, strategy during the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia late 2006. Hammami argued that Shabaab wasted fighters and resources by waging open warfare against a militarily superior enemy, and that the group instead should have carefully withdrawn its forces and waged a guerrilla campaign. Hammami's contempt for the 2006-2007 campaign was on public display when he released his narcissistic autobiography in May 2012 [see LWJ report, Omar Hammami releases part 1 of autobiography].

Considering Hammami's open dispute with Shabaab's leadership, the terror group has been remarkably tolerant of his antics. While Hammami has supposedly only been under house arrest, he still appears to have access to the Internet as well as his sympathetic associates.

Although Hammami has repeatedly claimed that his life is in danger, he remains alive to this day. Other al Qaeda affiliates and allied groups have executed dissenters for far more benign statements. Shabaab waited eight months before publicly weighing in on Hammami's statements and his autobiography, and even then sought to bring him back into the fold, at least according to Shabaab.

"The Mujahideen have been offering advice to Abu Mansour [Hammami] in private, without publicly rebuking him, employing every possible avenue to veil his faults, overlook his shortcomings and conceal the egregious errors he'd committed ...." Shabaab said in its mid-December statement.

Tweets by Abu M, or @abuamerican, from Dec. 31, 2012 to Jan. 4, 2013:

The following tweets are listed in reverse order; the most recent tweets, from Jan. 4, are at the top.

MoS Moments of Silence

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

Designation of Al-Shabaab

When our world changed forever

Al-Shabaab

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

SOMALI REPUBLICANS

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Somalia

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The Foundation is dedicated to networking like-minded Somalis opposed to the terrorist insurgency that is plaguing our beloved homeland and informing the international public at large about what is really happening throughout the Horn of Africa region.

Al-Qaida in Somalia. ...

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The threat is from violent extremists who are a small minority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, the threat is real. They distort Islam. They kill man, woman and child; Christian and Hindu, Jew and Muslim. They seek to create a repressive caliphate. To defeat this enemy, we must understand who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for.